Difference between revisions of "Son Of God"

<p> Like a number of biblical expressions, ‘son of God’ may have different meanings in different parts of the Bible. Adam is called the son of God, because he came into existence as a result of the creative activity of God (&nbsp;Luke 3:38; cf. &nbsp;Acts 17:28; &nbsp;Hebrews 12:9). [[Angels]] are sometimes called sons of God, probably in reference to the fact that they are spirit beings (&nbsp;Job 1:6; &nbsp;Job 38:7; &nbsp;Daniel 3:25). The nation Israel was God’s son, for God adopted it as his own (&nbsp;Exodus 4:22-23; &nbsp;Romans 9:4). In a similar but higher sense, [[Christians]] are God’s sons, again through God’s gracious work of adoption (&nbsp;Romans 8:14-15; &nbsp;Galatians 4:5-6; see [[Adoption]] ). </p> <p> In Old [[Testament]] Israel, the Davidic king was considered to be God’s son, for through him God exercised his rule over his people (&nbsp;2 Samuel 7:14; &nbsp;Psalms 2:6-7). The promised Messiah would also be God’s son, for he would belong to the Davidic line of kings. That Messiah was Jesus. But Jesus was more than God’s son in the messianic sense. He was God’s Son in the sense that he was God. He did not become the Son of God through being the Messiah; rather he became the Messiah because he was already the pre-existent Son of God (&nbsp;Matthew 22:42-45; &nbsp;John 1:34; &nbsp;John 1:49; &nbsp;John 20:31; see [[Messiah]] ). </p> <p> '''Eternally the Son''' </p> <p> God is a trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, all of whom are equally and eternally God (see [[Trinity]] ). Although Jesus is the Son, that does not mean that he was created by the Father or is inferior to the Father. On the contrary, he has the same godhead and character as the Father (&nbsp;Matthew 11:27; &nbsp;John 1:1; &nbsp;John 1:14; &nbsp;John 1:18; &nbsp;John 5:26; &nbsp;John 8:18-19; &nbsp;John 10:30; &nbsp;John 10:38; &nbsp;John 14:9; &nbsp;Hebrews 1:1-3; &nbsp;1 John 2:23; see [[Word]] ), has the powers, authority and responsibilities of the Father (&nbsp;John 3:35-36; &nbsp;John 5:21-22; &nbsp;John 5:43; &nbsp;John 13:3), and has the thought and purpose of the Father (&nbsp;John 5:17-20; &nbsp;John 5:30; &nbsp;John 8:16; &nbsp;John 8:28-29; &nbsp;John 14:10; &nbsp;John 14:24; see [[Father]] ). </p> <p> The relation between Jesus (the Son of God) and his Father is unique. It should not be confused with the relation between believers (sons of God) and their heavenly Father. In the case of Jesus, the sonship is eternal. The Father and the Son have always existed in a relation in which they are equally and unchangeably God. This is a relation that no created being can share (&nbsp;John 1:18; &nbsp;John 5:37). In the case of believers, they become sons of God only through faith in Jesus. God makes them his sons by grace. Jesus was never made the Son of God. He always has been the Son (&nbsp;John 8:18-19; &nbsp;John 17:1-5; &nbsp;1 John 5:11-12). </p> <p> Jesus was careful, when talking to believers, to make a distinction between ‘my Father’ and ‘your Father’ (&nbsp;Matthew 5:16; &nbsp;Luke 2:49; &nbsp;Luke 12:30; &nbsp;John 20:17). [[Believers]] are not sons of God in the same sense as Jesus is the Son of God. Nevertheless, believers become sons of God through Jesus, the Son of God (&nbsp;Matthew 11:27; &nbsp;John 1:12-13; &nbsp;Romans 8:16-17). Through Christ they come into a close personal relation with God the Father, and can even address him as ‘Abba’ as Jesus did (&nbsp;Mark 14:36; &nbsp;Romans 8:15; &nbsp;Galatians 4:6; see [[Abba]] ). </p> <p> The Son’s mission </p> <p> As the Son of God, Jesus shares in the deity and majesty of the Father; yet he is also humbly obedient to the Father. Although he existed with the Father from eternity, the Son willingly took human form to fulfil his Father’s purposes for the salvation of human beings and the conquest of evil (&nbsp;Romans 8:3; &nbsp;Galatians 4:4-5; &nbsp;Hebrews 2:14-15). </p> <p> When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the Son of God added humanity to the deity that he already had. His entrance into human life involved the supernatural work of God in the womb of the virgin Mary, so that the baby born to her, though fully human, was also the unique Son of God (&nbsp;Luke 1:30-31; &nbsp;Luke 1:35; &nbsp;Luke 2:42; &nbsp;Luke 2:49; see [[Virgin]] ). </p> <p> The earliest recorded words of Jesus indicate that even as a child he was conscious of his special relation with the Father (&nbsp;Luke 2:49). The Father reaffirmed this special relation at some of the great moments of Jesus’ public ministry (&nbsp;Matthew 3:17; &nbsp;Matthew 17:5; see [[Baptism]] ; [[Transfiguration]] ). Because the Son and the Father existed in this special relation, Satan tempted the Son to act independently of the Father. He tempted Jesus to use his divine powers contrary to the divine will (&nbsp;Matthew 4:3; &nbsp;Matthew 4:6). </p> <p> There was often a difference between the way believers spoke of Jesus’ sonship and the way Jesus himself spoke of it. Believers usually spoke of it in relation to Jesus’ divine person and his unity with the Father (&nbsp;Matthew 16:16; &nbsp;John 20:31; &nbsp;Colossians 1:13; &nbsp;1 John 2:23; &nbsp;1 John 4:15). Jesus also spoke of it in this way, but in addition he emphasized the meaning of his sonship in relation to his earthly ministry and complete submission to his Father (&nbsp;Mark 13:32; &nbsp;John 4:34; &nbsp;John 5:19; &nbsp;John 7:16; &nbsp;John 8:28; &nbsp;John 8:42; cf. &nbsp;Hebrews 5:8). </p> <p> The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world, and the Son’s obedience to this mission meant that he had to suffer and die (&nbsp;John 3:14-16; &nbsp;John 12:27; &nbsp;Romans 5:10; &nbsp;Romans 8:32; &nbsp;1 John 4:9-10; &nbsp;1 John 4:14). The Son completed that work, being obedient even to death (&nbsp;John 17:4; &nbsp;Philippians 2:8), and God declared his total satisfaction with the Son’s work by raising him from death (&nbsp;Romans 1:4). </p> <p> However, the mission that the Father entrusted to the Son involved more than saving those who believe. It involved overcoming all rebellion and restoring all things to a state of perfect submission to the sovereign God (&nbsp;John 5:20-29; &nbsp;2 Corinthians 5:19; &nbsp;Ephesians 1:10; &nbsp;1 John 3:8). That mission extends to the whole universe, and will reach its climax when the last enemy, death, has been banished for ever (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 15:25-26). The conquering power of the Son’s victory at the cross will remove the last traces of sin. The Son will restore all things to the Father, and God’s triumph will be complete. God will be everything to everyone (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 15:24; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 15:28). </p> <p> '''Acknowledging the Son''' </p> <p> One sign of the work of God in people’s lives is their acknowledgment that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (&nbsp;Matthew 11:27; &nbsp;Matthew 16:16-17; &nbsp;1 John 5:10). It seems that in the early church, an open confession of Jesus Christ as the Son of God was a formal declaration that a person was a true believer (&nbsp;Acts 8:37; &nbsp;Hebrews 4:14; &nbsp;1 John 2:23; &nbsp;1 John 4:15). </p> <p> Even Jesus’ opponents recognized in his works and his teaching a claim to deity. For this they accused him of blasphemy and in the end crucified him (&nbsp;Matthew 26:63-66; &nbsp;Matthew 27:42-43; &nbsp;John 5:18; &nbsp;John 10:33; &nbsp;John 10:36; &nbsp;John 19:7). God, however, demonstrated dramatically that Jesus was his Son by raising him from death and crowning him with glory in heaven (&nbsp;Romans 1:4; &nbsp;Ephesians 1:20; &nbsp;Hebrews 4:14; cf. &nbsp;John 6:62; &nbsp;John 17:4-5). One day the Son will return to save his people and set in motion those events that will lead to God’s final triumph (&nbsp;1 Thessalonians 1:10; &nbsp;Titus 1:13). (See also [[Jesus]] CHRIST; SON OF MAN.) </p>

<p> [[Applied]] in the plural to the godly Seth's descendants ''(Not Angels, Who "Neither [[Marry]] Nor Are Given In Marriage," '' &nbsp;Luke 20:35-36'')'' , "the salt of the earth" heretofore, amidst its growing corruption by the Cainites.(See [[Seth]] .) When it lost its savour ''("For That He Also (Even The [[Godly]] Seed) Is [[Become]] Flesh" Or Fleshly)'' by contracting marriages with the beautiful but ungodly, God's Spirit ceased to strive with man, and judgment fell (&nbsp;Genesis 6:2-4). In &nbsp;Job 1:6; &nbsp;Job 2:4, angels. In &nbsp;Psalms 82:6 "gods ... sons of the Highest," i.e. His representatives, exercising, as judges and rulers, His delegated authority. A fortiori, the term applies in a higher sense to cf6 "Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world" (&nbsp;John 10:36). Israel the type was Son of God (&nbsp;Exodus 4:22-23; &nbsp;Hosea 11:1). Faith obeying from the motive of love constitutes men "sons of God" (&nbsp;Jeremiah 3:4; &nbsp;Hosea 1:10). [[Unbelief]] and disobedience exclude from sonship those who are sons only as to spiritual privileges (&nbsp;Deuteronomy 32:5; Hebrew). </p> <p> "It ''(The [[Perverse]] And [[Crooked]] Generation)'' hath corrupted itself before Him (&nbsp;Isaiah 1:4), they are not His children but their blemish," i.e. "they cannot be called God's children but the disgrace of God's children" (&nbsp;Romans 9:8; &nbsp;Galatians 3:26). The doctrine of regeneration or newborn sonship to God by the Spirit is fully developed in the New Testament (&nbsp;John 1:12-13; &nbsp;John 3:3; &nbsp;John 3:5; &nbsp;1 John 3:1-3; &nbsp;Romans 8:15; &nbsp;Galatians 4:5-6). The Son of God, [[Antitype]] to Israel, is co-equal, co-eternal, co-essential ''(Consubstantial)'' with the Father; by eternal generation (&nbsp;Colossians 1:15), "begotten far before every creature" (Greek), therefore not a creature. So &nbsp;Proverbs 8:22 (Hebrew), "Jehovah begat ''('' qananiy '' Related To Greek '' gennaoo '')'' Me in the beginning of His way ''(Rather Omit "In"; The Son Himself Was "The Beginning Of His Way", "The Beginning Of The [[Creation]] Of God", '' &nbsp;Revelation 3:14'')'' from everlasting ... or ever the earth was ... I was by Him as One brought up with Him. I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him" (&nbsp;Proverbs 8:22-31; &nbsp;John 1:1-3). </p> <p> The Son was the Archetype from everlasting of that creation which was in due time to be created by Him. His distinct Personality appears in His being "by God ... brought up with God," not a mere attribute; "nursed at His side"; "the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father"; to be "honoured as the Father" (&nbsp;John 1:18; &nbsp;John 5:20). [[Raised]] infinitely above angels; "for to which of them saith God, Thou art My Son, this day ''(There Is No [[Yesterday]] Or [[Tomorrow]] With God, His "Today" Is [[Eternity]] From And To Everlasting)'' have I begotten Thee?" and "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever" (Hebrew 1; &nbsp;Psalms 2:7; &nbsp;Psalms 45:6-7). His divine Sonship from everlasting was openly manifested by the Father's raising Him from the dead (&nbsp;Acts 13:33; &nbsp;Romans 1:4; &nbsp;Revelation 1:5). [[Nebuchadnezzar]] called Him "the Son of God," unconsciously expressing a truth the significance of which he imperfectly comprehended (&nbsp;Daniel 3:25). </p> <p> The Jews might have known Messiah's [[Godhead]] from &nbsp;Psalms 45:6-7, and &nbsp;Isaiah 9:6, "a Son ... the mighty God, the [[Everlasting]] Father"; (&nbsp;Isaiah 7:4) [[Immanuel]] "God with us"; (&nbsp;Micah 5:2) "whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." The Scripture-asserted unity of God was their difficulty (&nbsp;Deuteronomy 6:4), and also the palpable woman-sprung humanity of Jesus. Their supposing John the Baptist to be Messiah (&nbsp;Luke 3:15) shows they did not expect Messiah or Christ to be more than man (&nbsp;Matthew 22:42-45). To Jesus' question, "what think ye of Christ, whose Son is He?" the [[Pharisees]] answered not the Son of God, but "the Son of David," and could not solve the difficulty," how then doth David in the Spirit call Him Lord?" in Psalm 110, "Jehovah said unto my Lord" ('Αdonay ), etc., i.e. the Lord of David, not in his merely personal capacity, but as Israel's Representative, literal and spiritual. Jesus quotes it "Lord," not "my Lord," because Jehovah addresses Him as Israel's and the church's Lord, not merely David's. </p> <p> Had the Pharisees believed in Messiah's Godhead they could have answered: As man Messiah was David's son, as God He was David's and the church's Lord. The [[Sanhedrin]] unanimously (&nbsp;Mark 14:64) condemned Him to death, not for His claim to Messiahship but to Godhead (&nbsp;John 19:7; &nbsp;Luke 22:70-71, "art Thou the Son of God?" etc., &nbsp;Luke 23:1; &nbsp;Matthew 26:63-66). So contrary to man's thoughts was this truth that, Jesus says, not flesh and blood, but the Father revealed it to Peter (&nbsp;Matthew 16:17). The Jews thrice took up stones to kill Him for blasphemy </p> <p> '''(1)''' in unequivocally claiming God to be peculiarly "His ''Own'' Father" (idion patera ): &nbsp;John 5:18. Again, </p> <p> '''(2)''' in claiming divine pre-existence, cf6 "before Abraham was created ''("Began To Be", '' genesthai '')'' , I am" (eimi ): &nbsp;John 8:58-59. And </p> <p> '''(3)''' in saying, cf6 "I and the Father are one" ''('' hen '', One "Essence", Not Person)'' : &nbsp;John 10:30-31; &nbsp;John 10:33. </p> <p> The apostles preached His divine [[Lordship]] as well as Messiahship (&nbsp;Acts 2:36). His acknowledged purity of character forbids the possibility of His claiming this, as He certainly did and as the Jews understood Him, if the claim were untrue; He never would have left them under the delusion that He claimed it if delusion it were. But the Jews from &nbsp;Deuteronomy 13:1-11 (some thought Jesus specially meant, "if the son of thy mother entice thee," for He had a human mother, He said, but not a human father) inferred that His miracles, which they could not deny, did not substantiate His claim, and that their duty was to kill with holy zeal One who sought to draw them to worship as divine another beside God. They knew not that He claimed not to be distinct God, but One with the Father, One God; they shut their eyes to &nbsp;Deuteronomy 18:15, etc., and so incurred the there foretold penalty of rejecting Him. His miracles they attributed to Satan's help (&nbsp;Matthew 12:24; &nbsp;Matthew 12:27; &nbsp;Mark 3:22; &nbsp;Luke 11:15; &nbsp;John 7:20; &nbsp;John 8:48; &nbsp;Matthew 10:25). </p> <p> Men may commit awful sins in fanatical zeal for God, with the [[Scriptures]] in their hands, while following unenlightened conscience; conscience needs to be illuminated by the Spirit, and guided by prayerful search of Scripture. The Jews ought to have searched the Scriptures and then they would have known. [[Ignorance]] does not excuse, however it may palliate, blind zeal; they might have known if they would. Yet Jesus interceded for their ignorance (&nbsp;Luke 23:34; &nbsp;Acts 3:17; &nbsp;Acts 13:27). Deniers of Jesus' Godhead on the plea of God's unity copy the Jews, who crucified Him because of His claim to be God. The Ebionites, Cerinthians, and other heretics who denied His Godhead, arose from the ranks of Judaism. </p> <p> The arguments of the ancient [[Christian]] apologists, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, etc., against the Jews, afford admirable arguments against modern Socinians; the Jews sinned against the dimmer light of the Old Testament, [[Socinians]] against the broad light of both Old and New Testament The combination in One, the Son of God and the Son of man, was such as no human mind could have devised. The Jews could not ascend to the idea of Christ's divine Sonship, nor descend to the depth of Christ's sufferings as the Son of man; so they invented the figment of two Messiahs to reconcile the seemingly opposite prophecies, those of His transcendent glory and those of His exceeding sufferings. The gospel at once opposes the Jews' false monotheism by declaring Christ to be the coequal Son of God, and the pagan polytheism by declaring the unity of God. </p>

&nbsp;Genesis 6:1-4&nbsp;Psalm 29:1&nbsp;Psalm 82:6&nbsp;Psalm 89:6&nbsp;Exodus 4:22&nbsp;Jeremiah 31:20&nbsp;Hosea 11:1&nbsp;Psalm 2:7&nbsp;2 Samuel 7:14&nbsp;2 Samuel 2:18&nbsp;4&nbsp;7:28-29&nbsp;13:32,37,52&nbsp;14:9 <p> Jesus' own assertions and intimations indicate that references to Him as Son of God can be traced to Jesus Himself. At the center of Jesus' identity in the Fourth Gospel is His divine sonship (&nbsp;John 10:36 ). Jesus conceived of His divine sonship as unique as indicated by such assertions as “I and the Father are one” (&nbsp;John 10:30 NIV) and the “Father is in me and I am in the Father” (&nbsp; John 10:38 NRSV). Elsewhere, He frequently referred to God as “my Father” (&nbsp; John 5:17; &nbsp;John 6:32; &nbsp;John 8:54; &nbsp;John 10:18; &nbsp;John 15:15; &nbsp;Matthew 7:21; &nbsp;Matthew 10:32-33; &nbsp;Matthew 20:23; &nbsp;Matthew 26:29 ,Matthew 26:29,&nbsp;26:53; &nbsp;Mark 8:38; &nbsp;Luke 2:49; &nbsp;Luke 10:21-22 ). </p> <p> At Jesus' baptism and transfiguration, God the Father identified Jesus as His son, in passages reflecting &nbsp;Psalm 2:7 . He was identified as Son of God by an angel prior to His birth (&nbsp;Luke 1:32 ,Luke 1:32,&nbsp;1:35 ); by Satan at His temptation (&nbsp;Matthew 4:3 ,Matthew 4:3,&nbsp;4:6 ); by John the Baptist (&nbsp;John 1:34 ); by the centurion at the crucifixion (&nbsp;Matthew 27:54 ). Several of His followers ascribed to Him this title in various contexts (&nbsp;Matthew 14:33; &nbsp;Matthew 16:16; &nbsp;John 1:49; &nbsp;John 11:27 ). </p> <p> The term Son of God reveals Jesus' divine sonship and is closely associated with His royal position as Messiah. [[Gabriel]] told Mary that her Son would not only be called the Son of God, but would also reign on the messianic (David's) throne (&nbsp;Luke 1:32-33 ). The connection of Son of God with Jesus' royal office is also found in John (&nbsp;Luke 1:49; &nbsp;Luke 11:27; &nbsp;Luke 20:30 ), in Paul (&nbsp;Romans 1:3-4; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 15:28; &nbsp;Colossians 1:13 ), and in Luke (&nbsp;Acts 9:20-22 ). </p> <p> Primarily, the title Son of God affirms Jesus' deity evidenced by His person and His work. John emphasized Jesus' personal relationship to the Father. Paul stressed the salvation that Jesus provided (&nbsp;Romans 1:4; &nbsp;1 Thessalonians 1:10 ), and the author of Hebrews focused on Jesus' priesthood (&nbsp;1 Thessalonians 5:5 ). All of these are vitally related to His position as Son of God. </p> <p> David S. Dockery </p>

<p> A term applied in the Scriptures not only to magistrates and saints, but more particularly to Jesus Christ. Christ, says [[Bishop]] Pearson, has a fourfold right to this title. </p> <p> 1. By generation, as begotten of God, &nbsp;Luke 1:35 . </p> <p> 2. By commission, as sent by him, &nbsp;John 10:34; &nbsp;John 10:36 . </p> <p> 3. By resurrection, as the first born, &nbsp;Acts 13:32-33 . </p> <p> 4. By actual possession, as heir of all, &nbsp;Hebrews 1:2; &nbsp;Hebrews 1:5 . But, besides these four, many think that he is called the Son of God in such a way and manner as never any other was, is, or can be, because of his own divine nature, he being the true, proper, and natural Son of God, begotten by him before all worlds, &nbsp;John 3:16 . &nbsp;Romans 8:3 . &nbsp;1 John 4:9 . </p> <p> See article [[Generation]] ETERNAL, and books there referred to. </p>

<p> A peculiar appellation of Christ, expressing his eternal relationship to the Father, &nbsp;Psalm 2:7 &nbsp; Daniel 3:25 &nbsp; Luke 1:35 &nbsp; John 1:18,34 . Christ always claimed to be the only-begotten Son of the Father, &nbsp;Matthew 4:3 &nbsp; 8:29 &nbsp; 27:54 &nbsp; John 3:16-18; and the Jews rightly understood him as thus making himself equal with God, &nbsp;John 5:18 &nbsp; 10:30-33 . </p>

<p> <i> See </i> Adoption; [[Name And Titles Of Jesus Christ]] </p>